3 Things You Should Know about Uluru's Aboriginal Name Uluru-Ayers Rock: What’s in a Name? Many people ask us what is the Aboriginal name for Ayers Rock means. So we’ve written this page to not only help you to learn what the original name for Ayers Rock is, but also to dispel some of the myths about Ayers Rock’s original name. We often see information written on the internet about Ayers Rock that simply isn’t true. For example, I’ve seen websites stating that Ayers Rock is the heart chakra of the world! Until recently, Wikipedia’s entry claiming that Uluru means ‘island mountain’. I’ve even heard one ignorant tour guide at Uluru’s base spreading this ‘island mountain’ meaning to tourists. Not only is this untrue, it’s also offensive to Aboriginal people who have their own spiritual traditions associated with the Rock. So we want to make sure that you have the real facts about Uluru – and especially about the Aboriginal name for Ayers Rock. On this page, I (Amanda) will share my knowledge as an anthropologist and tell you the real story behind Ayers Rock’s original name. 1.

Uluru: The Original Name The Aboriginal name for Ayers Rock is Uluru. Uluru is a Yankunytjatjara word. Yankunytjatjara is the name of the Aboriginal people whose land Ayers Rock is located on. Uluru is not just the name of Ayers Rock itself, but also of the country around Ayers Rock. Uluru is in fact the name of a large tract of land where a particular sub-group of Yankunytjatjara people (anthropologists call this an ‘estate group’) live. 2. What Does Uluru Mean? Uluru is first and foremost a place name. It does not have any specific meaning, although it may have some connection to the Yankunytjatjara words for ‘crying’ and ‘shadows’. As I really wanted to know what the word meant, I asked Senior Traditional owners, Reggie and Cassidy Uluru and well known Alice Springs historian, Richard (Dick) Kimber, about the meaning of Uluru. After a few ignorant comments on this post, I then asked several Yankunytjatjara people who are highly skilled language interpreters about the meaning as well.

They all told me that Uluru was the name of the place, and that it had no specific meaning. I also read through the writings of Charles Mountford, one of the first anthropologists to live and work with Yankunytjatjara and Luritja people, and the books of Bill Harney (the first ranger at Ayers Rock). I consulted the anthropological work of Robert Lawton, who worked on land claims in the area during the 1970s. Mountford worked with Aboriginal people at Ayers Rock in the 1930s and 1940s. He records that Uluru is both the name of a Dreaming ancestor, a snake, AND the name of a rockhole that is a Men’s Sacred site located on top of the Rock. Traditionally, only initiated senior men could climb the Rock and visit this special site (this fact is often hidden from public knowledge, but is there in historical and anthropological records for anyone to discover.) Bill Harney arrived at Uluru in the late 1950s. He was told by the Aboriginal custodians of Uluru that it was a place name.

Robert Lawton was the anthropologist who interviewed all of the old people for the Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park Land Claim. He also established that Uluru was a place name. After doing this research and asking expert people, the evidence suggested that the Aboriginal name for Ayers Rock, Uluru, is indeed a place name with no specific meaning. Aboriginal people felt that the connection to ‘crying’ or ‘wailing’ was actually associated with ‘Yulara’, which is the name of the township where Ayers Rock Resort is located. There are several named places on the south western side of the Rock (near the Park HQ) which refer to shade or shadows. (The ‘ul-‘ sound refers to shade or shadow in several Central Australian Aboriginal languages ). There may be some connection of the word ‘Uluru’ to shadows or shade, however, the Aboriginal men I spoke with did not suggest this. So we can conclude that just as Niagara Falls is the name of a place, or London or the Amazon River, so too is Uluru. It does not mean ‘Earth Mother’. It does not mean ‘big rock’. It does not mean ‘island mountain’.

(This is an error lifted from a description on a topographical map!) It does not mean ‘Rainbow Dreaming’ or ‘Heart Chakra Dreaming’ or any other New Age nonsense. If you are using my page as a source for your own webpages, please make sure that you don’t promote any of the myths about Uluru’s name. Feel free to use this information, knowing that it is the real truth. 3. One Rock, but Many Names and Places Another thing that’s useful to know is that there not just one Aboriginal name for Ayers Rock, but that Aboriginal people have named many of the individual features of Uluru, such as caves and waterholes, as well. For example, all of the caves, valleys, waterholes and even a particular place right on the top of Ayers Rock have specific names. Many of these named places on Uluru are sacred sites. Although Yankunytjatjara and Pitjantjatjara people consider all of Ayers Rock to be spiritually significant, they strongly distinguish between sacred sites and the rest of the Rock. The photo below is a satellite photo, and I’ve labelled all of the places names and sacred sites around the Rock.

It’s important for visitors to understand the distinction between a place name and a sacred site. All Aboriginal people in Central Australia have a word in their languages that means ‘sacred site’. To an Aboriginal person, when a place is deemed as a sacred site, there are often restrictions on who can visit, when they may visit and the rituals and songs they need to know to visit such places. This means that some places on Ayers Rock may only be seen by initiated men, or by Aboriginal women. Places become sacred sites because Dreamtime beings travelled through, or performed some action, at that particular place and are still considered to be there, performing that action. Although Aboriginal people acknowledge that non-Aboriginal people want to visit their sacred places (and in Central Australia, most of the ‘top’ destinations are sacred sites), there are some places which they request that people stay away from. This is why that Aboriginal people at Ayers Rock request that visitors don’t climb the Rock, and in some places, request that photographs aren’t taken. So you can see that the Aboriginal name for Ayers Rock is at first glance, just a place name.

However, Uluru has not just one named place, but many and these are often of great spiritual importance to Aboriginal people. Please Read This: Even after furnishing all of this evidence, we still receive comments and emails from people who do not accept that Uluru has no special meaning. We have recently had someone insist that an unnamed ‘elder’ at Uluru told her that the name meant ‘island mountain’. This person refused to believe not only the anthropological and historical evidence, but the evidence given by Aboriginal Elders with whom we have worked over a long period of time. This is deeply insulting, ignorant and ethnocentric. So, all we ask is that if you do not believe what is written here, that you seek out the original sources mentioned above. If you are very lucky, you may be able to speak with some of the true Elders at Uluru (they will NOT be tour guides or rangers – they are now all very old people in their late 70s and 80s). Lastly, if you’ve found this page interesting and useful, please share it via Twitter, Facebook or Google+.

Uluru, Northern Territory - Visitor's Guide to Ayers Rock (Uluru), Australia Uluru (Ayers Rock) Uluru from a distance Near the heart of Australia, from the parched dry plains of the Northern Territory, rises the biggest monolith in the world, the colossal Uluru (previously known as Ayers Rock). Called Ayers Rock by settlers, the ownership of the rock was transferred to the Aboriginals of the area and it regained its Aboriginal name of Uluru, which means Great Pebble. Uluru is one of earth's great natural wonders and encountering it for the first time is quite an experience. Consisting of mineral rich sandstone, Uluru measures 2.4km (1.5 miles) long and 1.6km (1 mile) wide and rises up to 867 metres above sea level. Aboriginal rock paintings Uluru is a sacred site for the Aboriginal tribes, and has great spiritual meaning. Each feature of the rock has a meaning in 'Tjukurpa' or Dreamtime, the traditional Anangu law that explains how the world was created.

The caves in the rock have been decorated with Aboriginal paintings and prehistoric art, some of which indicate such things as the whereabouts of water and other vital information, others were painted for religious purposes and as a means of both storytelling and for a culture with no written language to teach and record its history. Ever changing shades of Uluru Apart from the sheer imposing size of Uluru, what can make viewing it so memorable is the fact that as each day passes the rock changes colour depending on the light and atmospheric conditions, and never remains the exact same permanent hue. Sunrise and sunset are perhaps the most magical, and it is easy to see why the native inhabitants held this area in such high regard. It is hard to come away from Uluru without feeling enriched by its calm spiritually and sense of permanence. Copyright © 2003-2013 JustClick Australia. All rights reserved - 2017 What is Ayers Rock? What is Ayers Rock? What is Ayers Rock? Ayers Rock is one of Australia’s most famous tourist icons. But what is Ayers Rock? Ayers Rock comprises of a single piece of rock, almost 10kms in circumference and jutting out of the Northern Territory Outback.

There is no other known geological feature in the world exactly like it, so it’s certainly considered a natural wonder and attracts the crowds to prove it. For decades, tourists have been making the long journey to this remote site trying to find out just exactly what is Ayers Rock all about. Thousands of visitors travel some 460kms southwest of Alice Springs to see this remarkable lump of orange/brown sandstone that uniquely rises 350m from the flat plains of spinifex grass. Only the nearby Kata Tjuta, also known as The Olgas, offer anything similar in the region. Unlike Ayers Rock, they comprise of several sandstone mounds, which further add to the attraction of the area. Ayers Rock is also known as Uluru, the name given to it by the local Pitjantjatjara Aboriginal tribe long before surveyor William Gosse named it in honour of South Australia Chief Secretary Henry Ayers in 1873. Today, the Aborigines own and administer the land on which the rock stands and, since they attach spiritual significance to it, they prefer visitors not to climb it.

A trip to Ayers Rock usually involves a five-hour drive from Alice Springs, in addition to a flight or an even longer drive, and therefore most people stay overnight. This is usually done in campsites or local resorts. One of the highlights of a visit is experiencing the changing colours of the rock at sunset and sunrise. At midday, temperatures can top 35°C during the summer months, so it’s best to plan to be indoors at the local Yulara resort town at this time. Ayers Rock is a World Heritage site, and one of several worthwhile attractions near Alice Springs, including Kings Canyon and a number of intriguing landscapes. An air strip makes it possible to fly directly to the site. Map of Australia's Red Centre Uluru / Ayers Rock Uluru Experiences Experiences at Uluru + Kata Tjuta Most visitors would have seen photos featuring Uluru, but nothing prepares you for the experience of being exposed to this expansive living cultural landscape. Experience many wonderful features of this region, including Uluru or Ayers Rock, and Kata Tjuta, also known as the Olgas.

Ayers Rock’s Aboriginal Name: 5 Things you probably don’t know | Camel Tracks Ayers Rock’s Aboriginal Name: 5 Things you probably don’t know Posted on June 23, 2011 | 3 Comments Ayers Rock’s Aboriginal Name: What does it mean? There are five things that the average person probably doesn’t know about Ayers Rock’s Aboriginal name . Uluru, which is also popularly known as Ayers Rock, is the rock’s Aboriginal name. Ayers Rock is located in the south of the Australian outback, in the Northern Territory. Consisting of a massive reddish-to-brown coloured rock formation mainly of sandstone, this ancient natural wonder is iconic to Australia and it classified as a World Heritage Site. Ayers Rock is readily accessible to visitors and tourists, even if it lies 460 kilometres south west of the closest major town, Alice Springs, which is a vibrant tourist hot spot. Today the Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park is a popular Australian tourist destination that features Kata Tjuta and Uluru. 1.

WHO COINED THE NAME ‘ULURU?’ The origin of the Ayers Rock aboriginal name is attributed to the Yankunytjatjara, an aboriginal culture whose territory covers the Ayer Rock’s location. In addition, ‘Uluru’ (Aboriginal pronunciation: [uluɻu] ) is a Yankunytjatjara word. Uluru, aside from referring to the country where Ayers Rock stands, is also the designation for the area where a specific Yankunytjatjara sub-group or estate group resides. Although most of the rest of Australia refer to this great rock formation by the Ayers Rock aboriginal name, Uluru, the local community of the Yankunytjatjara and Pitjantjatjara people today call Ayers Rock by the term ‘Uluru’. The word is said to have no specific meaning in the Pitjantjatjara language but the people also regard it as a native family last name of the elderly Traditional Owners of Uluru. 2.

TWO NAMES ONE ROCK The famous Australian landmark officially became known as Ayers Rock on July 19, 1873 courtesy of William Gosse—a surveyor who named the huge sandstone formation after Sir Henry Ayers, who was the incumbent Chief Secretary of South Australia during that time. Although most people identify the landmark with its Anglicized name, the dual-naming policy—which officially recognizes two names of both English and Aboriginal origins—only came into effect on December 15, 1993 through the appellation ‘Ayers Rock/Uluru.’ This was the Northern Territory’s first attraction officially possessing a dual name. However, on November 6, 2002 the joint names were reversed to ‘Uluru/Ayers Rock’ as a result of a proposal by Alice Springs’s Regional Tourism Association. 3. MEANING What does ‘Uluru’ mean anyway? Here’s where the plot thickens. A lot of interpretations have sprouted all over the web, most of which only complicate the issue rather than clarify it.

Some say that the translation of ‘Uluru’ in English is ‘big rock,’ while others weave lofty denotations into the aboriginal name the likes of which are ‘rainbow dreaming’ and ‘heart chakra dreaming.’ Nothing can be farther from the truth or more ridiculous. Other than to generally denote a place, the name has no further particular meaning. However, the aboriginal name has several connotations in the Yankunytjatjara language that connote ‘crying/wailing,’ ‘shade’ and ‘shadows.’ According to anthropologists who are experts on aboriginal culture in the Northern Territory, several aboriginal languages in Central Australia regard the phonetic sound ‘ul’ as shadow or shade, while a few features of the south western portion of Ayers Rock have names that can be understood to mean shadows or shade. 4. ONE ROCK MANY PARTS Similar to individual parts of the human body, Ayers Rock features several named places too. Rock caves, springs and water holes are examples of distinct features that the Aboriginal people gave names to. Since they considered Uluru as a sacred site, they also provided individual names to distinguish one spiritual site from the other.

Tjunkurrpu, Kantju, Taputji are just some examples. 5. OWNERS The ‘Anangu’ (this is a word in a group of Aboriginal languages that just means ‘person’. It is NOT the name of an Aboriginal tribe!) are considered as the traditional owners of the Ayers Rock. Anangu people are in fact, Yankunytjatjara and Pitjantjatjara people. I’ll repeat: Anangu is NOT THE NAME OF ANY ABORIGINAL “TRIBE”. IT IS A WORD THAT MEANS “PERSON” IN SEVERAL ABORIGINAL LANGUAGES. Please help to spread the truth and email website owners who write rubbish about Aboriginal culture on their sites! The Australian government returned ownership of Uluru to Aboriginal people on October 26, 1985 under the condition that they would lease the Uluru back to Australia’s National Parks and Wildlife Agency for 99 years jointly managed. The Ayers Rock aboriginal name means so much more to its original owners since it will always consider the Rock as a spiritual landmark. Share this: I would like to know something.

Why do the Anangu people allow tourists to climb Uluru, if they don’t like it and ask you not to do it. They don’t allow it at the Kata Tjutas! About Ayers Rock - Uluru (Ayers Rock) Australia About Ayers Rock - Uluru (Ayers Rock) Australia Longitude 131 About Ayers Rock Ayers Rock is one of the most impressive landmarks in Australia. A huge chunk of sandstone and a ‘true’ monolith, it resides in Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park. Ayers Rock is located down towards the southwest corner of the Northern Territory and close to the geographic centre of Australia. Learn about Ayers Rock The rock is huge, jutting up about 350m from its barren surrounds. And more interestingly, Ayers Rock extends even further than this amount below ground. Although there are other, similar entities to Ayers Rock – most notably the nearby Olgas and Mount Augustus in Western Australia – it is the only singular monolith with its composition. A World Heritage site, Ayers Rock also goes by the Aboriginal name of Uluru. Aboriginal tribes were living in the area 10,000 years ago.

White men did not come onto the scene until the 1870s, when William Gosse named it for Henry Ayers, the then-South Australia Chief Secretary. Ayers Rock is sometimes incorrectly written as Ayres Rock, Ayes Rock, Ares Rock, Eyers Rock, Eyres Rock, Aires Rock and Airs Rock. The Pitjantjatjara Aboriginals own the land around and about Ayers Rock today. Ayers Rock is about 335kms to the southwest of Alice Springs – 463kms by road, about five hours – and is served by the small resort town of Yulara. This is where tourists stay ad most people spend the night, either in hotel accommodation or camping; there are no actual camping or other facilities within the park itself. Visitors can climb Uluru – Ayers Rock as well as explore the base of it, which is around 10kms by footpath. The trip up takes a good couple of hours there and back. Although if you’re fit and hotfoot it, it can be done in 20 or 30 minutes (not recommended in the summer).

It’s best to observe the rock during sunrise and sunset, when its terracotta hue morphs into a violet/blue tinge. Map of Australia's Red Centre Uluru / Ayers Rock On this day in history: Uluru given its Aboriginal name - Australian Geographic Tweet ON 15 DECEMBER 1993, Uluru became the first icon in Australia to be given back its Aboriginal name, giving birth to a wave of dual-named sites and landmarks across Australia. Uluru was the name given to the landmark by the local Aṉangu people. British surveyor William Gosse was the first European to 'discover' the monolith – the largest rock of its kind in the world – in 1872, and named it Ayers Rock after the former chief secretary of South Australia, Sir Henry Ayers. "Dual naming leads to better cross-cultural communication as it is one of the windows people can utilise to understand more of another culture's heritage," says Bill Watt, chair of the Committee for Geographic Names Australasia. "For people to have local stories and place names available while travelling in Australia provides more significance to the place names and your understanding of the Aboriginal people's connection with the land," he says.

RELATED GALLERY: The many faces of Uluru Island mountain Uluru is an inselberg – literally meaning island mountain – and is what remains of a mountain range largely eroded away. It has a circumference of more than 9km, a height of 350m, and covers 3.3sq.km. "Uluru is unusual because there is an enormous flat plain with some sand dunes, and then there is suddenly this large rock," says Deirdre Dragovich, associate professor at the University of Sydney's School of Geosciences. It is composed chiefly of a sandstone called arkose, and is believed to have been originally sand that formed a fan-shaped deposit, known as an alluvial fan. The rock rises abruptly, and looks, from a distance, to have a smooth surface. This makes Uluru unique, as most inselbergs have a gradual slope and a cracked and jagged surface, due to the effects of weathering and erosion. RELATED VIDEO: First-ever drone footage of Uluru Uluru an ancient sacred rock The area around Uluru was first settled about 10,000 years ago, and is sacred to the Aṉangu people of Central Australia.

In Aṉangu culture, Uluru marks the site of significant events from The Dreaming – when creator beings formed the landscape – and is also the home of their ancestors. Uluru now has wider significance as a symbol for Aboriginal people across Australia. Europeans unsuccessfully attempted to settle the area in the first 60 years after discovering the site. In the 1940s settlers returned and developed a tourism industry around what was then known as Ayers Rock. More recently, it has become a World Heritage site , with ownership returned to the Aṉangu in 1985 . After dual naming, many tourist attractions at the site now focus on Aṉangu culture, and visitors often take walks around, rather than climbing, the rock. "I've found that personally, when a non-Aboriginal comes to understand the significance of a place to Aboriginals it increases the significance of the place to that person as well, particularly the case if they have an understanding of the story associated with the place," says Bill.

"My profound hope, desire and wish is that the number of dual-named place increases, and I believe it certainly will." READ MORE: Ayers Rock, Uluru - Crystalinks Ayers Rock Ayers Rock is also known by its Aboriginal name 'Uluru'. It is a sacred part of Aboriginal creation mythology, or dreamtime - reality being a dream. Uluru is considered one of the great wonders of the world and one of Australia's most recognizable natural icons. Uluru is a large magnetic mound large not unlike Silbury Hill in England. It is located on a major planetary grid point much like the Great Pyramid in Egypt. Ayers Rock is a large sandstone rock formation in central Australia, in the Northern Territory. It is located in Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park, 350 km southwest of Alice Springs at 25 degrees 20' 41" S 131 degrees 01' 57" E. It is the second-largest monolith in the world (after Mount Augustus, also in Australia), more than 318 m (986 ft) high and 8 km (5 miles) around.

It also extends 2.5 km (1.5 miles) into the ground. It was described by explorer Ernest Giles in 1872 as "the remarkable pebble".' Uluru is an inselberg, literally "island mountain", an isolated remnant left after the slow erosion of an original mountain range. Uluru is also often referred to as a monolith, although this is a somewhat ambiguous term because of its multiple meanings, and thus a word generally avoided by geologists. The remarkable feature of Uluru is its homogeneity and lack of jointing and parting at bedding surfaces, leading to the lack of development of scree slopes and soil. These characteristics led to its survival, while the surrounding rocks were eroded. For the purpose of mapping and describing the geological history of the area, geologists refer to the rock strata making up Uluru as the Mutitjulu Arkose, and it is one of many sedimentary formations filling the Amadeus Basin.

Close Up Rain Age and Origin The Mutitjulu Arkose is believed to be of about the same age as the conglomerate at Kata Tjuta, and to have a similar origin despite the rock type being different, but it is younger than the rocks exposed to the east at Mount Conner, and unrelated to them. The strata at Uluru are nearly vertical, dipping to the south west at 85 degrees, and have an exposed thickness of at least 2,400 m (7,900 ft). The strata dip below the surrounding plain and no doubt extend well beyond Uluru in the subsurface, but the extent is not known. The rock was originally sand, deposited as part of an extensive alluvial fan that extended out from the ancestors of the Musgrave, Mann and Petermann Ranges to the south and west, but separate from a nearby fan that deposited the sand, pebbles and cobbles that now make up Kata Tjuta. The similar mineral composition of the Mutitjulu Arkose and the granite ranges to the south is now explained. The ancestors of the ranges to the south were once much larger than the eroded remnants we see today.

They were thrust up during a mountain building episode referred to as the Petermann Orogeny that took place in late Neoproterozoic to early Cambrian times (550-530 Ma), and thus the Mutitjulu Arkose is believed to have been deposited at about the same time. The arkose sandstone which makes up the formation is composed of grains that show little sorting based on grain size, exhibit very little rounding and the feldspars in the rock are relatively fresh in appearance. This lack of sorting and grain rounding is typical of arkosic sandstones and is indicative of relatively rapid erosion from the granites of the growing mountains to the south. The layers of sand were nearly horizontal when deposited, but were later tilted to their near vertical position during a later episode of mountain building, possibly the Alice Springs Orogeny of Palaeozoic age (400-300 Ma). Despite current estimates of the age of the geological formations that comprise Uluru, however, the arkose sandstone which makes up the formation is composed of grains that are many different sizes and are jagged, and the feldspars in the rock are fresh and shiny.

Flood geologists argue that this indicates a comparatively fast deposit, on the order of only a few years or less. They state that if the arkose grains had been transported more slowly they would be more rounded and evenly sorted, and the feldspars would have turned to clay in the intervening years. History Archaeological findings to the east and west indicate that humans settled in the area more than 10,000 years ago. Europeans arrived in the Australian Western Desert in the 1870s. Uluru and Kata Tjuta were first mapped by Europeans in 1872 during the expeditionary period made possible by the construction of the Australian Overland Telegraph Line. In separate expeditions, Ernest Giles and William Gosse were the first European explorers to this area. While exploring the area in 1872, Giles sighted Kata Tjuta from a location near Kings Canyon and called it Mount Olga, while the following year Gosse observed Uluru and named it Ayers Rock. Further explorations followed with the aim of establishing the possibilities of the area for pastoralism.

In the late 1800s, pastoralists attempted to establish themselves in areas adjoining the South western/Petermann Reserve and interaction between Anangu and white people became more frequent and more violent. Due to the effects of grazing and drought, bush food stores became depleted. Competition for these resources created conflict between the two groups, resulting in more frequent police patrols. Later, during the depression in the 1930s, Anangu became involved in dingo scalping with 'doggers' who introduced Anangu to European foods and ways. Between 1918 and 1921, large adjoining areas of South Australia, Western Australia and Northern Territory were declared as Aboriginal reserves, sanctuaries for nomadic people who had virtually no contact with European settlers. In 1920, part of Uluru - Kata Tjuta National Park was declared an Aboriginal Reserve (commonly known as the South-Western or Petermann Reserve) by the Australian government under the Aboriginals Ordinance. The first tourists arrived in the Uluru area in 1936. Beginning in the 1940s, permanent European settlement of the area for reasons of the Aboriginal welfare policy and to help promote tourism of Uluru.

This increased tourism prompted the formation of the first vehicular tracks in 1948 and tour bus services began early in the following decade. In 1958, the area that would become the Uluru - Kata Tjuta National Park was excised from the Petermann Reserve; it was placed under the management of the Northern Territory Reserves Board and named the Ayers Rock - Mount Olga National Park. The first ranger was Bill Harney, a well-recognised central Australian figure. By 1959, the first motel leases had been granted and Eddie Connellan had constructed an airstrip close to the northern side of Uluru. On 26 October 1985, the Australian government returned ownership of Uluru to the local Pitjantjatjara Aborigines, with one of the conditions being that the Anangu would lease it back to the National Parks and Wildlife agency for 99 years and that it would be jointly managed. The Aboriginal community of Mutitjulu, population of approximately 300, is located near the western end of Uluru.

From Uluru it is 17 km (11 mi) by road to the tourist town of Yulara, population 3,000, which is situated just outside of the national park. Kata Tjuta National Park is owned and run by the local Aboriginals. The Australian government handed ownership of the land back to the Aboriginals some years ago. Uluru has many caves, some decorated with rock art depicting Dreamtime myths dating back thousands of years. The Caves The caves in Uluru can be both engaging and enlightening. To truly experience the power of Ayers Rock, your journey should be more than a few hours. Take your time to absorb the history of the springs, caves, and ancient paintings throughout the formation and don't worry about running your business . The first Aboriginal settlers arrived there more than 10,000 years ago and created a historical journey that would be difficult to transverse overnight so the recommendation for any tourists traveling to the formation has always been to allow more time to absorb the area without being distracted. Mount Urulu Turned Violet Uluru went from red to violet on June 1, 2004, waterfalls on the rocks causing the color change.

Ayers Rock was named for the Premier of South Australia, Sir Henry Ayers. It extends down over 3 and a half miles beneath the surface. Approximately 500 million years ago it was part of the ocean floor at the center of Australia. Some report that there is a light source emanating at various times of the year. Most likely this can be explained scientifically. The Aborigines believe that there it is hollow below ground, and that there is an energy source that they call 'Tjukurpa' the dream time. The term Tjukurpa is also used to refer to the record of all activities of a particular ancestral being from the very beginning of his or her travels to their end. Anangu know that the area around Ayers Rock (Mount Uluru) is inhabited by dozens of ancestral 'beings' whose activities are recorded at many other sites. At each site, the events that took place can be recounted, whether those events were of significance or whether the ancestral being just rested at a certain place before going on.

Usually, there is a physical feature of some form at each ancestral site which represents both the activities of the ancestral being at the time of its formation and the living presence of Tjukurpa within that physical feature today. For the Australian Aboriginal people, that physical feature, whatever its form or appearance, animate or inanimate, is the Tjukurpa. It may be a rock, a sand hill, a grove of trees, a cave. For all of these, the creative essence remains forever within the physical form or appearance. Around Mount Uluru there are many examples of ancestral sites. The Anangu explanations of these sites and of the formation of Mount Uluru itself derive from the Tjukurpa. Most of these explanations are in the realm of secret information and are not disclosed to Piranypa, the non-Aborigines. 'The Dreaming' is not a creation myth, per se, but a myth of formation. The world existed, but was featureless. Giant semi-human beings, resembling plants or animals, rose up from the plains where they had been slumbering for countless ages. These ancient heroes roamed the land aimlessly.

As they wandered around, they carried out the tasks that the present Aborigines do today including camping, making fires, digging for water, fighting each other, and performing ceremonies. When the heroes became tired of doing these things, Dreamtime came to an end. Wherever the creators had been active, some form of natural feature now marks the place. The creators made everything with which the aborigines are in daily contact and from which they gain their living. The heroes also established laws that govern all aspects, both secular and sacred, of the tribes. Dreamtime was in the past, but it is the Aborigines present religion and culture. The saying, 'As it was done in the Dreamtime, so it must be done today,' dominates all aspects of aboriginal behavior. Because of their beliefs in 'the dreaming,' ceremonies and rituals are held, stories are told, pictures are drawn, and daily life is defined. In order to understand the religion of the Aborigines, one must have a basic understanding of the organization of the tribes. All men and women belong to small groups, called clans. Each clan posses a distinct body of spiritual properties, or sacred sites.

A clan may have several sacred sites that they claim, and the area surrounded by the connection of these sites forms the clan's estate. Clans are linked by common religious traditions, intermarriage, shared dialects, and overlapping foraging rights. Stone monument made by the heroic ancestors Clans people of the crow believe they are descended from the Dreamtime's crow spirit who became a man. Each clan has a totem. 'Totemism is a view of nature and life, of the universe and man, which colors and influences the Aborigines' social groupings and mythologies, inspires their rituals and links them to the past. It unites them with nature's activities and species in a bond of mutual life-giving, and imparts confidence amidst the vicissitudes of life'. The totem provides a tangible expression of a man's relationship to his deities. Everything in the Aboriginal world contains an essence or spirit that had its beginnings in the Dreamtime. Each person descended from one of these spirits and possessed some of its life force. The spirit it descended from is the person's totem. Images of totems make-up a large part of Aboriginal art.

They were painted on cave walls, which we title rock art, drawn on the interiors of their huts, drawn on their bodies, and carved in wood. Totemic spirits are celebrated in ceremonies and rituals, and played a prominent part in Aboriginal myth. Myths, Legends and Aboriginal Traditions According to the Anangu traditional landowners of Uluru: "The world was once a featureless place. None of the places we know existed until creator beings, in the forms of people, plants and animals, traveled widely across the land. Then, in a process of creation and destruction, they formed the landscape as we know it today. Anangu land is still inhabited by the spirits of dozens of these ancestral creator beings which are referred to as Tjukuritja or Waparitja." There are a number of unauthenticated accounts of the Aboriginal ancestral stories for the origins of Uluru and its many cracks and fissures. One such account, taken from Robert Layton's (1989) ULURU: An Aboriginal history of Ayers Rock, reads as follows: "Uluru (Ayers Rock) was built up during the creation period by two boys who played in the mud after rain.

When they had finished their game they travelled south to Wiputa ..Fighting together, the two boys made their way to the table topped Mount Conner, on top of which their bodies are preserved as boulders" (Page 5) Two other accounts are given in Norbert Brockman's (1997) Encyclopedia of Sacred Places. The first tells of serpent beings who waged many wars around Uluru, scarring the rock. The second tells of two tribes of ancestral spirits who were invited to a feast, but were distracted by the beautiful Sleepy Lizard Women and did not show up. In response, the angry hosts sang evil into a mud sculpture that came to life as the dingo. There followed a great battle, which ended in the deaths of the leaders of both tribes. The earth itself rose up in grief at the bloodshed, becoming Uluru. The Commwealth Department of Environment's webpage advises: "Many ..

Tjukurpa such as Kalaya (Emu), Liru (poisonous snake), Lungkata (blue tongue lizard), Luunpa (kingfisher) and Tjintir-tjintirpa (willie wagtail) travel through Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park. Other Tjukurpa affect only one specific area. "Kuniya, the woma python, lived in the rocks at Uluru where she fought the Liru, the poisonous snake." It is sometimes reported that those who take rocks from the formation will be cursed and suffer misfortune. There have been many instances where people who removed such rocks attempted to mail them back to various agencies in an attempt to remove the perceived curse. In the News ... Flooding rains bring rare waterfalls to Australia's Uluru AFP - January 16, 2010 Heavy rains which flooded parts of Australia's vast desert centre have brought rare waterfalls spilling from the iconic monolith Uluru, or Ayers Rocks, officials said Saturday.

The deluge, which swept across much of the continent's east after a tropical cyclone last month, prompted a wave of green in the Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park, home to the giant red rock. Uluru typically receives little more than 12 inches of rain a year, and January is its hottest, driest month, with temperatures topping to 45 degrees Celsius (113 F). Fireball at Ayers Rock NASA - June 28, 2008 A weekend trip for astrophotography in central Australia can result in gorgeous skyscapes. In this example recorded in March of 2006, the center of our Milky Way Galaxy rises over planet Earth's horizon and the large sandstone formation called Uluru, also known as Ayers Rock. After setting up two cameras to automatically image this celestial scene in a series of exposures, one through a wide-angle and the other through a telephoto lens, photographer Joseph Brimacombe briefly turned his back to set up other equipment. To his surprise, the ground around him suddenly lit up with the brilliant flash of a fireball meteor. To his delight, both cameras captured the bright meteor streak.

Highlighted in the telephoto view (inset), the fireball trail shines through cloud banks, just left of Ayers Rock. Satellite Photo [Click and Drag] Face Book: Ben's Journey to Kaja Kutja - Journey into the the Valley of the Winds Uluru/Ayers Rock | Indigenous Religious Traditions Indigenous Religious Traditions Zoe Kian Santos Uluru/Ayers Rock Uluru, or Ayers Rock as it is known to the western world, holds significance for Australians both of Aboriginal and European descent. Located at the heart of the Australian continent and measuring 10 km around and 348 ft high, it dominates the surrounding landscape. Know as Uluru to Aborigines, it is a central component of their sacred narrative, which is know as the Dreamtime. The Dreamtime refers both to an era before time during which the present was formed, and to a constant other reality where palimpsests of the living exist eternally. During the creation it is believed that several mythical beings created the world through various actions and adventures. Aboriginal Australians canonize these creation stories through a series of songs. The songs contain instructions for daily life and details of the journeys that the creators took in forming the Earth.

These song lines reference real places on the Australian continent and contribute to the sacrality of these places. Since landforms are direct results of creators’ actions “they are visible evidence that the ancestral beings still exist” (Prevos 3). This is undoubtedly the case with Uluru, which is said to have been formed by two young boys playing in the mud. Uluru also has a place in the hearts of white Australians. Discovered in the late 19th century by William Gosse, Uluru was renamed Ayers Rock. It soon became a symbol of the Australian people and a popular travel destination. Many early white Australians forged a life for themselves in the backcountry, often centered on ranching. The idea of the rough and ready cowboy has greatly influenced the Australian cultural identity. Ayers Rock represents an “attachment to the bush, a country mindedness, a white identity with strong rural roots, and a romanticizing of the Outback”(Whittaker 313) and has become a symbol of this identity. Much opposition was met in the case of Uluru because of its economic and symbolic significance to white Australians. Since its founding, tourism from the rock has provided a steady source of income for residents of the Northern Territory.

The chief officer of the Northern Territory at the time of the transfer, Paul Everingham, was quoted saying that “the ‘majority of Australians’ would have their ‘spirit’ crushed and would ‘feel cursed’ when the rock is handed over”(Whittaker 317). The differences in the aboriginal and white Australian view of Uluru should be noted. In their article, Figueroa and Waitt introduce the concept of anthropocentric v. non-anthropocentric worldviews. In the case of Uluru, the anthropocentric view considers the rock to be an important symbol for the Australian people. Without the appreciation of humans, it would merely be another inanimate object. This is the view of nature held by most in the western tradition. The aboriginal people, as well as many other indigenous peoples around the world, have a non-anthropocentric view. They feel that the rock has its own identity and is therefore innately sacred. These varying viewpoints become evident in the issue of land rights and management. Someone with a non-anthropocentric view is likely to want to preserve a site for its own sake, rather than for the enjoyment of humans.

The movement to return Uluru to its aboriginal keepers marked a shift in post-colonial thought. Western governments stopped trying to assimilate indigenous peoples into the mainstream culture in the mid 1960s. For Aborigines the 1960s also marked the recognition of their civil rights by the Australian government. The Aborigines argued that “land values and environmental heritage are, for them, inseparable from political autonomy and self-determination”(Figueora and Waitt 2). The acceptance of this belief allowed them to advocate for the return of their sacred lands and contributed to the creation of the Aboriginal Land Rights Act of 1976. This act enabled aboriginal peoples to file claims for land based on their traditional occupation of that land. Despite the breakthrough in political rights, many of the initial claims were not successful. This act did pave the way for the successful Aboriginal Land Rights Amendment Act of 1985. This gave the land rights for Uluru back to the Aborigines. The Aborigines have since leased Uluru back to the park service for a period of 99 years.

They currently maintain a joint management system with the park service and have created numerous restrictions to preserve the integrity of the site. Since interactions of both Australians and tourists with the site were seen by the aboriginal peoples as disrespectful, restrictions were also put on other sacred sites near Uluru to protect them from similar disruption. The case of Uluru is one of compromise. Because of its immense importance to both Aboriginal people and Australians, a more or less effective compromise was reached. The return of Uluru to Aboriginal ownership showed respect on behalf of the Australian government for indigenous traditions and beliefs. The joint management allows controlled, respectful tourism to generate interest and income based on the sacred site. Despite efforts on all sides to respect the site the situation is still not ideal. Tourists continue to flood the site while tribal elders are only able to conduct ceremonies at certain times of the year. The dispute over Uluru/ Ayers Rock reminds us that even in the most seemingly balanced cases, the issue of sacred lands is not simple. If current opinions toward indigenous spirituality stay the way they are, usage of sacred sites will continue to be a source of conflict between indigenous and modern societies. – Elle Beckett What does Uluru mean?

- Definition of Uluru - Uluru stands for Aboriginal name for Ayer`s Rock. By AcronymsAndSlang.com What does Uluru mean? This acronym/slang usually belongs to Internet Slang, Chat Texting & Subculture category. Popularity What is the abbreviation for Aboriginal name for Ayer's Rock? Aboriginal name for Ayer's Rock can be abbreviated as Uluru What does Uluru mean? - Definition of Uluru - Uluru stands for Aboriginal name for Ayer`s Rock. By AcronymsAndSlang.com Image Source: Most popular questions people look for before coming to this page Q: What does Uluru stand for? Uluru stands for "Aboriginal name for Ayer's Rock". Q: How to abbreviate "Aboriginal name for Ayer's Rock"? "Aboriginal name for Ayer's Rock" can be abbreviated as Uluru. Q: What is the meaning of Uluru abbreviation? The meaning of Uluru abbreviation is "Aboriginal name for Ayer's Rock". Q: Uluru History Uluru History Uluru History Overview Debate continues on when the first Aborigines moved into the area but the best evidence suggests that it was at least 20 000 years ago.

The notes of Uluru National Park explain the Aboriginal understanding of Uluru in the following terms: 'In the beginning the world was unformed and featureless. Ancestral beings emerged from this void and journeyed widely, creating all the living species and the characteristic features of the desert landscape you see today. Uluru and Kata Tjuta provide physical evidence of feats performed during the creation period. Anangu are the direct descendants of these beings and are responsible for the protection and appropriate management of these ancestral lands.' The arrival of Europeans in the area was part of the exploration of the centre during the 1870s. Ernest Giles travelled through the area in 1872 and named both Lake Amadeus and Mount Olga. Giles returned to the area in 1873 but was beaten to Uluru by William Gosse who sighted the monolith on 19 July and named it after the Chief Secretary of South Australia, Sir Henry Ayers. Giles also was the first European to climb the rock which he did accompanied by an Afghan camel driver. The inhospitable nature of the terrain ensured that few Europeans ventured into the region.

Pastoralists were defeated by the lack of water and the only Europeans to pass through the area were trappers, miners, and the occasional missionary. The area was declared the Petermann Aboriginal Reserve in the early 1900s and this existed until the 1940s. Ayers Rock was created a national park in 1950. In 1957 Bill Harney came to the area and in 1958, when the rock was combined with the Olgas to form the Ayers Rock National Park, he was appointed the first official curator. In 1959 a motel lease was granted near the rock and soon after an airstrip was built. In 1976 the Commonwealth Government set up the lease at Yulara and in 1983-84 the old tourist locations near the rock were closed down. In 1985 the title to the rock was handed back to the traditional owners who, in turn, granted the Australian National Parks and Wildlife Service a 99 year lease on the park. To make a Reservation call 1300 559 390 (within Australia) or email us info@uluru.com

Question: What is the Aborigines name for Ayers Rock?
Answer: Uluru